Soap Lake schools get major repairs
NANCE BESTON | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months, 1 week AGO
Soap Lake Elementary got a new roof, but that’s not all the district is upgrading this summer. There are repairs and upgrades being made to electrical systems, heating and cooling and parking lots.
COURTESY PHOTO/SOAP LAKE SCHOOL DISTRICT
SOAP LAKE — The Soap Lake School District is in the process of making around $6.6 million worth of repairs.
“The work is fantastic,” Superintendent Angela Rolfe said. “We're really excited to be able to upgrade and modernize some things that needed to be done.”
The upgrades to the schools include updating from oil to electric heating and cooling and a major electrical system upgrade that Grant Public Utility District will install in August.
“The electrical system upgrade is actually going to be a transformer replacement,” Rolfe said. “That is what Grant PUD is coming out to do, because we're moving from oil to electric, we have to meet the increased electrical demand.”
Soap Lake Elementary School has a new roof.
“Our roof was just at the end of life,” Rolfe said. “There were definitely issues with it. So doing it now prevents us from having leaks and different things that would be bad for the building in the long term.”
There was also a new chiller unit installed at both the middle and high schools for air conditioning, as well as new boiler systems for heating in both schools.
“The heating and cooling are also really at the end of life as well, and (were) unreliable,” she said. “This will help us make sure that classrooms are comfortable for staff and for students.”
Replacing concrete was part of the project as well.
“The concrete replacement that was at the back door of the high school was a follow-up to an installation last summer of an ADA accessible door with a push button entry,” Rolfe said.
The high school also has a freshly repainted main parking lot and a new sprinkler system.
“All of the projects except the sprinkler system were all funded by competitive (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction) grants,” Rolfe said.
The repairs are funded by three OSPI grants, including a small district modernization grant totaling $6 million, an urgent repair grant totaling $478,000 and an Americans with Disabilities Act grant totaling $100,000.
“We are really excited here in the district,” Rolfe said.
ARTICLES BY NANCE BESTON
Mayor Peter Sharp takes oath of office
SOAP LAKE – Grant County Commissioner Kevin Burgess adminstered the oath of office to Mayor Peter Sharp Wednesday. Sharp was previously appointed to this role at the Sept. 18, 2024, council meeting after his predecessor Allen DuPay quit during the Aug. 7, 2024, meeting.
Newhouse, colleagues introduce infrastructure bill
WASHINGTON D.C. — On November 21, 2025, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers introduced the Urban Canal Modernization Act, HR 6279, aimed at addressing the deteriorating condition of urban canal infrastructure across the country. This legislation, sponsored by Representatives Dan Newhouse, R-WA; Mike Simpson, R-ID; Adam Gray, D-CA; and Russ Fulcher, R-ID focuses on providing federal support for the extraordinary operation and maintenance of urban canals deemed to be at significant risk of failure. “As communities in Grant County and elsewhere face serious risks from aging canal systems, it is imperative that we act now to ensure vital water infrastructure is maintained and upgraded,” Newhouse wrote in a statement. “The Bureau of Reclamation’s canals are in dire need of repairs, and the surrounding communities who rely on them would be at risk if they were to fail. This legislation provides local authorities with additional resources to manage these critical pieces of infrastructure while protecting the people and property around canals of concern.”
Ephrata water tower waiting for final tests
EPHRATA — The City of Ephrata is still waiting for the final testing to come back to the water tower. The city had originally hoped the tower would be connected to the water system by Thanksgiving; however, the intensive water testing is taking longer than anticipated.